Risky business Cary Lowe, Cary Lowe is a San Diego land-use lawyer and planning consultant.

What a little bird told us Jonathan Rosen, Jonathan Rosen, a novelist and essayist, is the editorial director of Nextbook. His book about bird-watching, "The Life of the Skies: Birding at the End of Nature," is being published this month.

Voting like it's manana Joe Mathews, Joe Mathews has been a Times staff writer for eight years. He is becoming an Irvine senior fellow at the New America Foundation.

BOOKS

The legend of El Lider Ilan Stavans, Ilan Stavans is Lewis-Sebring professor in Latin American and Latino culture at Amherst College. He is the editor of the forthcoming "Cesar Chavez: An Organizer's Tale."

Cut glass Samantha Dunn, Samantha Dunn is the author of several books, including "Faith in Carlos Gomez."